Rail-joint.



L. SPANGLER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-29. I916- ,261,639. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

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B fiM M ATTORNEY L. SPANGLER'.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG-'29. l9l6- Patented Apr. 2,1918.

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WITNESSES ATTOR NEY '"rnsires LLOYD SPANGLER, or cn'aao eoano, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed August 29, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'knownthat LLLOYD Sranennn, citizen of the United States, residingat Cerro Gordo, in the county of Piatt and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints and has for its object to providea rail joint which will be held together without danger of separationeither longitudinally or transverse] y and without the use of bolts andfish plates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rail joint which shallbe simple, of few parts and which can be connected together and loosenedwith less help and in quicker time than rail joints now in use and whichpermits inspection at all times so that flaws-or defects in any part ofthe joint can be quickly discovered and immediately rectified. The jointfurthermore forms a sup port for the rails at the meeting ends thereof,and acts as a brace therefor at the outer side of the joint.

With the above as the principal objects in View, the invention consistsof the novel con struction, combination, and arrangement of partshereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved form of rail joint as it appearswhen in position for use,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of two rail ends separated and in position tobe moved into locking engagement for making the joint.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the same parts and in the same position,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a slightly modified form of theinterlocking ends of two rails,

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 2 of the modifiedconstruction, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the connecting link.

In the drawings, 10 and 11 indicate the ends of two rails connectedtogether by the improved joint. These rail ends, as shown in Figs. 3 and4, are not cut across perpendicularly to the rails as is common, butinstead the rail 10 has each side 01 its head 12 cut away as at 13 for ashort distance back from the end in planes parallel with theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Serial No. 117,530.

sides of the web 14; to form a tongue 15 that is slightly thicker thanthe web 14. The adjoining rail 11 has the end Off its head 12 socketedat 16 to permit the tongue 15 fitting snugly therein, as shown in Fig.1, the vertical height of said socket and tongue being the same as theheight of the heads 12. The end of the web 1 1 of the rail 10 projectsat its upper end beyond the bottom of the tongue 15 to a point midwaythe length of said tongue, and after extending downwardly a shortdistance in a vertical direction, is cut backwardly as at 17, beinginclined to the base 18, meeting the latter at a point vertically belowthe junction 0". the head 12 and tongue 15. The end of base 18 isrecessed at 19 immediately below the tongue 15 and extends inwardly tothe termination of the inclined end 17 of the web let, the width of saidrecess being a little greater than the width of tongue 15. The flangesof the base 18 project as at 20 as far as the end of tongue 15 and formthe sides of recess 19.

The end of the web ,14 of the adjoining rail 11 is similarly cut but insuch direction as to form an inclined portion 21 that will, when therails are placed together, abut against the inclined portion 17 of rail10. The outer edges of the end of base 18 of rail 11 are cut away as at22 to engage the projecting portions 20 of rail 10. Thecentral portionof the base 18 on the end of rail 11 forms a tongue 23 which is as wideas recess 19 and fits snugly thereinto when the rails 10 and 11 arejoined together.

As thus constructed, the ends of the two rails when brought together fitclosely and are interlocked by means of the tongue 15 engaging thesocket 16 and the base tongue 23 entering the recess 19 in the base ofthe opposite rail. To hold the ends of the two rails together andprevent them from separating endwise, the web Id of each rail near itsend has a transverse hole 24- bored therethrough to receive the ends ofa U-shaped tie rod or link 25 which, as shown in Fig. 7 consists of acentral portion 26 preferably of round metal with the ends 27 bent atright angles thereto, these ends being separated from each other adistance equal to the space between the transverse holes 24 in the rail.ends when the latter are connected in operative position.

For the purpose of retaining the link or connecting rod 25 in engagementwith the The rail chair 28 on the outer side of the connected rails hasan enlarged portion 29 that extends over the flanges oi the bases 18 orboth rails and abuts against the outer of the webs 14; and under theheads 12. The vertical face or he enlarged portion 29 that bears gainstthe webs 1 1 has a transverse slot 0 formed therein in position toextend over the link 25 and hold the latter in engagement with the rails10 and 11, the ends 27 of the. link projecting through the openings inthe two rail ends. On the inner side of the rails the chair 28 has aslight enlargement 31 that projects over a portion of the inner flangeor the base 18. It will thus be seen that the rail joint is firmlysupported by the chair 28 on its outer side and furthermore that thelink 25 is held in position close to the webs i l and prevented by theslotted enlargement 29 of the chair from working out or being forced outso long as the chair 28 remains in position, which position ismaintained by spikes 33 driven into the cross tie 32 the heads of whichspikes overlie the ends of the chair as shown.

A modification of the above construction of the joint is shown in Figs.5 and 6, and, as there shown, one of the rails 40 has a recess l-l inthe end oi the rail head 12 into which recess a tongue 42 on the end ofthe head 12 of the adjacent rail 13 enters when joining the rails. Theend of the head and web oi each rail 40 and 4.3, with the exception ofthe tongue 42, is perpendicular to the length of the rail. as in theordinary rail joint, the

base 18 of rail 43, however, has an endwise projecting tongue 44 belowthe tongue 42 that enters a recess 45 in the base 18 of the rail L0. Itwill thus be seen that rail 40 has a flat end at right angle to thelength of the rail provided with two recesses ll and a5 into whichrecesses tongues 42 and a l on the end of the opposite rail enter andlock the joint between these two rails against lateral separation.Longitudinal separation oi the rails is prevented as in the firstconstruction by means 01 a link or connecting rod 25 hav ing rightangular turned ends 27 that engage perforations 24 in the two rails 4L0and 43 when the ends thereof have been drawn together. A rail chair 28substantially the same as in the first construction is employed tosupport the rail joint and prevent the rails from becoming displaced.

Nhat is claimed is:

A rail oint comprising a pair of abutting rails, a U shaped linkconnecting the ends of said rails, the ends of which link reinovablyengage holes in said rail ends to prevent longitudinal separation of therails, and a rail chair extending across the rail ends below their basesand having portions projecting over the flanges thereof and in closecontact therewith, one of said overlying portions of the chair extendingupwardly in contact with the webs and underneath the heads of the railsand having a horizontal groove therein to receive said link. V

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witness.

LLOYD SPANGLER.

Witnesses E. O. TWYMAN, ED H; VULoAMoTT.

@opies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

